Many forms of mobile payments are available to consumers today. While traditional methods such as cash and credit cards remain popular, many consumers also use new forms of payment made available via electronic computing devices. For example, many devices contain near-field communication (“NFC”) capability, which allows a payment to be initiated when the device is placed into close proximity with an NFC reader. Likewise, optical codes containing payment information, such as QR codes, may be created and displayed on a device screen. A merchant may process the payment simply by scanning the displayed code.
For security reasons, a client device user must often launch a special application and enter a username and password before these payment methods can be used. This prevents the device from initiating accidental payments, for example, by simply approaching too closely to a NFC reader. Likewise, it prevents fraudulent use if a device is lost or stolen. However, the log-in process is often cumbersome and takes longer than conventional payment methods such as credit cards or cash. Adding to the inconvenience, a user may sometimes be forced to step through a series of menu options in an application before getting to the option to make a wireless payment. Further, an individual may also forget their username or password. As a result, there is a need for a method to initiate payment on a client device simply and quickly.